Shopping for teacher gifts? Better leave the gift cards at home

TORONTO, ONTARIO, December 14, 2016 – It’s getting close to that special time of year again. The malls have extra foot traffic, multiple websites are offering unbelievable deals, parking lots are getting crowded and just when you are about to wrap up your holiday shopping, you remembered you forgot a really important person – your child’s teacher.

Good ‘ol teacher gifts create some interesting questions: should I give or not give? How much should one spend? And the most important question of them all, do I need to buy for all of my child’s teachers? The reality is many Canadians are feeling the pinch this time of year and according to RetailMeNot.ca, 54 per cent of consumers say the holidays create a huge financial burden in their lives. And for many consumers when the pressure is on, they turn to gift cards. However a new survey says 67 per cent of consumers don’t care for gift cards in the first place. So what now?

“I won’t sugar coat this as I know teacher gifts cause many parents tons of stress. You don’t know how much to spend, what to give or even if you should give in the first place. The reality is, you can take a lot of stress off your back by taking a frugal approach,” says Jeffrey Schwartz, executive director, Consolidated Credit Counseling Services of Canada.

“Create a DIY gift for your child’s teacher and get your child involved. Your gift will cost you less than buying something in the store. Besides nothing shows how much you appreciate your child’s teacher more than a gift made from home,” says Schwartz.

And for many Canadians, buying for the holidays is an expensive affair; in 2015 Canadians spent the following during the holidays:

$164 on food

$104 on alcohol

$558 on gifts

*All of the above figures are from RetailMeNot.ca

Consolidated Credit Counseling Services of Canada understands many parents are feeling stressed about their various holiday purchases and teacher’s gifts are no different. This time of year many consumers overspend on their holiday budget and sometimes it leads to a debt emergency in the New Year. To help ease the weight many parents or guardians are feeling ConsolidatedCredit.ca offers the following tips:

Start now!

Don’t wait until the last minute to create your DIY gifts. Try to create your gifts at least a week or more before the holidays. This way you will not be left scrambling around at the last minute.

Research it out

Look for easy DIY gift ideas on Pinterest or YouTube. You will be inspired by all of the fun and interesting homemade gift ideas.

Keep it real

If you are not a master chef, do not create a complicated meal you’ve never made before because you will get frustrated. To avoid this, stick to your skills. If you’re an awesome baker – create one of your tried and true recipes.

Get your children involved

Kids love crafts. So get creative and make some homemade gingerbread cookies and let your kids decorate them or let your kids help you to create an ugly holiday sweater – the options are endless.

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About Consolidated Credit Counseling Services of Canada, Inc.:

Consolidated Credit Counseling Services of Canada is a national non-profit credit counselling organization that teaches consumers about personal finance.

For more information or to request an interview with Jeffrey Schwartz, please contact:

Here are some basic guidelines to help you create a budget by percentage of income and figure out the right budget percentages and a starting point. Remember that based on your individual living style, income, family circumstances, and location, the allocation may vary from person to person...Read full article

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